As first-year students settle into Georgetown’s residence halls, they’ll live next to classmates and new friends from all over the world.
Whether they’re new to Georgetown or entering their senior year, students also live in community with a diverse team of spiritual care providers through Campus Ministry’s Residential Ministry program. These 20+ residential ministers — who come from a variety of faith traditions, professional careers and personal backgrounds — live in Georgetown’s residence halls to accompany and support all students.
Get to know a few of the resident ministers this academic year as they share what they love about living with students and how they plan to build community in the residence halls.
Janaki Bloch
Faith Background: Hindu
Residence: Hayden Hall
Before Georgetown, Janaki Bloch practiced as a doctor in the United Kingdom but wanted to find more purposeful work. She left medicine behind and became a Hindu chaplain to find that purpose. When she moved to the U.S. with her husband, Bloch continued that work as a resident minister at Village C East. Now, she’s excited to spend the next year ministering to students in Georgetown’s new Hayden, Byrnes and Henle Halls. She’s even more excited to welcome students into her home as a soon-to-be mother and hopes students stop by to see the youngest resident of Georgetown’s newest residential community.
My favorite activity to do with students: Anything that sparks connection and joy — eating together, cooking a meal or even a spontaneous deep conversation about life’s big (or small!) questions. I host weekly open houses in our apartment, ‘Chats & Chai,’ where I get to cook a homemade meal for the students. When I was at university, I hated cooking for myself, so I make it a priority to cook a homemade meal every week for the students while my husband makes chai.
Why I love being a residential minister: It allows me to witness the incredible energy, creativity and openness that students bring. Every conversation feels like an exchange of inspiration. I want you to know that my door (and my heart) are open. Whether you’re navigating challenges, celebrating milestones or just want to share a story from your day, I’m here. I love chai, nature walks and spontaneous adventures, so don’t be surprised if I invite you along for one! My hope is that in our time together, you’ll feel supported, uplifted and reminded that you belong here exactly as you are.
Fr. Andrew Downing, S.J.
Faith Background: Roman Catholic
Residence: Reynolds Hall
Fr. Andrew Downing, S.J., lived in Wolfington Hall with fellow Jesuits when he first came to Georgetown in 2024. As the director of Ignatian programs in the Office of Mission & Ministry, Downing promotes Ignatian spirituality at Georgetown, particularly among faculty and staff. But throughout the past year, Downing found he missed working with students. This year, he moved across the block to live in community with first-year students in Reynolds Hall and is eager to meet Hoyas and explore DC together.
What I want students to know about me:
I’m here, I’m available and I want to get to know you. I’m a Jesuit priest, but that doesn’t mean that I’m just here for Catholic students. I’m here for everyone in Reynolds. And it also doesn’t mean that I’m only interested in talking about “problems” and “religious questions.” I want to get to know the people I’m living with, and — if you want to — you can get to know me. For students who want to seek out a resident minister, I want to be available. For students who would never seek out a resident minister, I somehow want to invite them into something different.
What I’m most excited about as a residential minister: I’ve enjoyed being with Georgetown students since I arrived at the university last year. But I tend to only see students in their Sunday best, literally and figuratively. I’m excited to see those same students in their everyday lives and get to know them that way, too. I even think it will make me a better priest.
Vanessee Burns
Faith Background: Methodist
Residence: 55 H St.
Prior to joining Georgetown, Vanessee Burns led a congregation of 4,000 people in Texas. But after 30 years as a Methodist pastor, she wanted a new challenge. She still wanted to minister to others and decided to come to Georgetown in 2022. As the resident minister at 55 H St., she serves undergraduate and graduate students on the Capitol Campus and welcomes them into her home for her special coffee brews and masala chai teas.
Students should know that: Even though I come from a particular religious background, their conversations with me are in a judgment-free zone.
Why I love working with students: There are so many assumptions people have about this age group. [They’re dealing] with pressure from parents, peer pressure, of not fitting in, not failing. I love seeing the diversity and constantly reminding them that even though it might appear to be the end of the world, there is still much life ahead of them.
Mollie Sharfman
Faith Background: Jewish
Residence: Darnall Hall
Mollie Sharfman was living in Berlin, Germany, working with Jewish communities at the Ronald Lauder Foundation with plans to move to DC when her friend, alumna Paige Harouse (C’19), told her about the university’s residential ministry program.
For Sharfman, the opportunity to be a minister in a college dorm made sense. As the oldest of four siblings, she had spent much of her career building Jewish youth communities and loved working with young people. The rest, she said, is history as Sharfman now enters her fourth year as a minister in Darnall Hall.
My advice for first-year students: Weather the first semester. The transition can be tough, but I promise it gets better. By spring, I see so many first-years in Darnall truly grow into themselves. The ‘Georgetown transformation’ is real, and it’s incredible to witness every year.
What I love about Georgetown: I love that faith is accessible here through Campus Ministry without pressure. It’s comforting for many students to know that support is available if they want it — and we’re here whenever they do. Caring for the whole person, cura personalis, I really do love that about being here, and that is a reason that has kept me here.
Imam Yahya Hendi
Faith Background: Muslim
Residence: Alumni Square
Imam Yahya Hendi has been a chaplain at Georgetown for over 25 years as the director of Muslim Life. Now entering his fifth year as a resident minister, Hendi loves welcoming students into his home for weekly smoothie nights and seasonal barbeques where he whips up meats and vegetables flavored with spices from all over the world. 
Why I wanted to be a residential minister: Being a residential minister allows you to be in the daily lives of our students, not only in the classroom or in a religious service. It allows me to be with them around the clock. I believe clergy need to be engaged with our students on a practical level, and the best way to do that is to live on campus and engage with them in the morning, in the evening, in the gym, in the prayer space, in the hallways.
What I want my students to know: That my home is open. I want to meet them where they are in life. I want them to know that I would love to invite them out for lunch or dinner. Just pick up the phone or email me, and we will make it happen. If they’re ready to do it, let’s take a walk together to the Potomac and engage, sit and talk.
Melanie Taylor
Faith Background: Protestant
Residence: Copley Hall
When Melanie Taylor returns from her work at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, she comes home 
to Copley Hall. As a resident minister, Taylor loves spending time in Copley Hall’s common spaces and hosting one-on-one sessions with students to accompany them through their time at Georgetown. Outside of Copley, she accompanies students in Campus Ministry’s Black Interfaith Fellowship and The Cookout retreat.
My message to first-year students: Build your support system. So many people in the Georgetown community — faculty, staff and other students — want to see you succeed in every area of life. Become familiar with the resources available to you on campus before you need them.
Why I love working with students: It’s a privilege to be part of students’ lives during such a formative few years. Many students experience some of the best — and worst — moments of their lives thus far during college. I’m grateful to be here as a sounding board, mentor and part of their support system as they pursue their goals.
